All ancient
books which have once been called sacred by man, will have
their lasting place in the history of mankind, and those who
possess the courage, the perseverance, and the self-denial of
the true miner, and of the true scholar, will find even in the
darkest and dustiest shafts what they are seeking for, -- real
nuggets of thought, and precious jewels of faith and
hope.

-- Max Müller, Introduction to the Upanishads Vol. II

"It is important to learn what other people have
learned, but too many people have lived and died for me to learn
more than a small fraction of what they have learned. There is a
prodigious supply of information, facts, opinions, theories,
suppositions, and doctrines, but the wisdom needed to sort through
the mountain of trash in the hope of finding a gold nugget is not
supplied."

-- Colin Low

Cool Stories:

Introduction

The wisdom of our ancestors frequently puzzles
modern people. In fact, an average person is totally unaware of that
wisdom and many of today's thinkers who study ancient writings do
not understand their true meaning.

Fig 1. Sample of extinct Akkadian (Cuneiform) writing

Translation:When heaven above was not
yet named, nor earth below pronounced by name,
Apsu, the first
one, their begetter and maker Tiamat, who bore them all,
had
mixed their waters together, but had not formed pastures, nor
discovered
reed-beds. When yet no gods were manifest, nor
names pronounced,
nor destinies decreed, then gods were born
within them.
Source:Language Museum
http://www.language-museum.com/a/akkadian-cuneiform.php

The ancient texts are usually interpreted in two ways:

1. Spiritual

This approach views the ancient writings as a source of religious
methodology of spiritual self-perfection and knowledge about God,
Life and Death, Evolution,
and the meaning of life.
Where does God live, where can one find Him?
The overwhelming majority of people involved in primitive forms of
religion would answer this question by pointing up to the sky.

Just like they raise eyes and hands when praying.
Where does the belief that God is above originate from? Maybe the
reason is that on the Earth’s surface one sees suffering and
temptations and in the sky — tranquil clouds, endless expanse,
caress of the Sun, mystery of the Moon and distant stars?

But Jesus laughed at such speculations:

“If your leaders say
to you: ‘Look, the (Father’s) Kingdom is in the sky!’ then the birds
of the sky will precede you. … Rather, the Kingdom is within you and it is outside
you.”
(The Gospel of Thomas, 3)

“(And) those who seek should not stop seeking until
they find. When they find, they will be disturbed, … they will
marvel, and (having established in the Kingdom) will reign over all”
(The Gospel of Thomas, 2).

2. Literal

This approach treats ancient texts as a source of information about
historical events - the Bible becomes a history book...
Is there any truth about history of the mankind and our planet in
ancient writings,
or is it all religious fantasy and fairy- tales?
Can we penetrate the ancient
wisdom hidden in the writings of our
ancestors?

High Technology in the Bible?

There are readers out there who would be surprised or
offended with the notion that high-technology was described in the Bible.
There are other readers who have realized that the only explanations to
Biblical mysteries are ancient Close Encounters. A good question is: Why
are certain, Old Testament events written about in the Bible? The answer
could be that these were special events between basically two groups of
people: One group was the primitives or the general state of humanity in
Biblical times. The other group was the relatively few HUMANS that still
retained and utilized technology originating from the days of Atlantis.

Spaceflight in the Mahabharata?

"[...] After the Lokopalas had gone away,
Arjuna -- that slayer of all foes -- began to think,
O monarch, of
the car of Indra! And as Gudakeca gifted with great intelligence was
thinking of it, the car endued with great effulgence and guided by
Matali, came dividing the clouds and illuminating the firmament and
filling the entire welkin with its rattle deep as the roar of mighty
masses of clouds. Swords, and miscrias of terrible forms, and maces
of frightful description, and winged darts of celestial splendor,
and lightnings of the brightest effulgence, and thunderbolts, and
Tutagudas furnished with wheels and worked with atmospheric
expansion and producing sounds, loud as the roar of great masses of
clouds, were on that car. And there were also on that car fierce and
huge-bodies Nagas with fiery mouths, and heaps of stones white as
the fleecy clouds. And the car was drawn by tenthousand horses of
golden hue, endued with the speed of the wind. And furnished with
prowess of illusion, the car was drawn with such speed that the eye
could hardly mark its progress. And Arjuna saw on that car the
flag-staff called Vaijayanta, of blazing effulgence, resembling in
hue the emerald or the dark blue lotus, and decked with golden
ornaments, and straight as the bamboo. And beholding a charioteer
decked in gold seated on that car, the mighty-armed son of Pritha
regarded it as belonging to the celestials. [...] Matali the
charioteer of Cakra, hearing these words of Arjuna, soon mounted the
car and controlled the horses. [...] Arjuna, blazing like the sun
itself, ascended the celestial car. And the Kuru prince, gifted with
great intelligence, with a glad heart, coursed through the firmament
on that celestial car effulgent as the sun and of extraordinary
achievements. And after he had become invisible to the mortals of
the earth, he behold thousends of cars of extraordinary beauty. And
in that region there was no sun or moon or fire to give light, but
it blazed in light of its own, generated by virtue and ascetic
merit. And those brilliant regions that are seen from the earth in
form of stars, like lamps (in the sky) -- so small in consequence of
their distance, though very large -- were beheld by the son of Pandu,
stationed in their respective places, full of beauty and effulgence
and blazing with splendor all their own. [...] 'These, O son of
Pritha, are virtous persons, stationed in their respective places.
It is these whom thou hast seen, O exalted one, as stars from the
earth!'"

The Mahabharata and Ramayana are the national epics of India.
They are probably the longest poems in any language. The
Mahabharata, attributed to the sage Vyasa, was written down from 540
to 300 B.C. It tells the legends of the Bharatas, one of the Aryan
tribal groups. The Mahabharata was written down a long time ago,
before the technology which is described in some parts of it, was (re)invented
in our time. Even at the time of the complete literal and close English
translation, in the years 1886-1890 (by Kisari Mohan Ganguli,
published by Pratap Chandra Roy), no aircraft ever flew and the
first combustion engine was just invented a few month earlier.

Truly it has been said that there is nothing new
under the sun, for knowledge is revealed and is submerged again,
even as a nation rises and falls. Here is a system, tested
throughout the ages, but lost again and again by ignorance or
prejudice, in the same way that great nations have risen and
fallen and been lost to history beneath the desert sands and in
the ocean depths.
-- Paracelsus

In this space age, with it's remarkable technological
advances, it is becoming apparent that the "miracles",
and other seemingly supernatural events reported in ancient
texts, the megalithic constructions, and the enigmatic lines and
artwork over the Earth, resulted from an advanced technology
which was incomprehensible and indescribable by the ancient
human observers.
These ideas are supported by the assumption that ancient myths
are not myths but historical and scientific texts.

"Sacred-Texts" site which is a freely available
non-profit archive of electronic texts about religion, mythology,
legends and folklore, and occult and esoteric topics. Texts are
presented in English translation and, in some cases, in the original
language. This site has no particular agenda other than promoting
religious tolerance and scholarship.

Ancient Kabbalah revealed by Andreas G. Szabó. Here is his new
book about a totally new and original method to mathematically
decode pictures from the Hebrew Biblical book of Genesis:
Planetary positions, star constellations, astronomical and
mathematical connections, magical artifacts and mystical
symbols. This book leads the reader on a spectacular tightrope
walk between religion, esoterism and science, and opens to him a
fascinating new view on the Bible.
www.torakosmos.de

The shocking truth about Jesus of Nazareth!"It is doubtful if any man was ever more misunderstood by the
people of his own time than Jesus of Nazareth. Certainly no man
was ever more grossly misrepresented by succeeding generations,
and especially by those who professed to be his friends and
followers." -- Wallace D. Wattles In ""Jesus:
The Man and His Work""

Worth a Look - Books and Video

The Internet Sacred Text Archive
is available
on CD-ROM packed with over
500 complete books and articles. The disk includes all of
the scriptures of the major world religions, as well as
other books on religion, mythology, folklore, traditional
wisdom, the esoteric, and the mysterious.

The Internet Sacred Text
Archive has the full text of over 500 ebooks
on Religion, Mythology, Folklore, Traditions and the
Esoteric. It includes all major religions' scriptures in
English and the original languages, and hundreds of other
books.
Includes many texts scanned from rare books no longer
in print.
Ideal for schools, libraries and students. Books
include: the Bible in English, Hebrew, Greek and Latin, the
Qur'an in English and Arabic, the Vedas and Upanishads,
Homer, Virgil, Dante, the Eddas, the Kalavala and even the
complete works of Shakespeare. Topics include the Bible,
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Zoroastrianism, Shinto, I Ching, Taoism, Confucianism,
Jainism, Sikhism, Shamanism, Traditions of Australia,
Polynesia, Africa and Native America; Ancient Near East,
Egypt, Classics of Rome and Greece, Sagas and Legends,
Wicca, Grimoires, Alchemy, Atlantis, Tarot, Atheism,
Philosophy and much more.

The
Upanishads
by Eknath Easwaran (Translator)
Formerly
a professor of Victorian literature, Eknath Easwaran discovered
the treasures of wisdom in his own native India and began to
pursue them with a passion. He has since studied them, practiced
them, and moved to America to share them with the Western world.
In his translation of The Upanishads, the font of Indian
spirituality, Easwaran delights us with a readable rendition of
one of the most difficult texts of all religious traditions.
Each Upanishad is a lyrical statement about the deeper truths of
mysticism, from the different levels of awareness to
cultivations of love for God. There's one twist, though, for
ultimately a devoted meditator realizes that God and the world
are not separate from oneself. Then the ultimate goal becomes to
reunite with the universal Self, achieving the infinite joy that
accompanies such union. Easwaran recruited Michael Nagler to
contribute notes to the translation and a lengthy afterword,
which together with introductions to each Upanishad, guide us
expertly through this strange and fruitful landscape.
--Brian Bruya

"LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF THE MASTERS OF THE FAR
EAST" caused me to search into the deeper realities and
meaning of Life. After reading these books, I realized that I
was living in the mundane world of religious doctrine and
dogma. I was given what I wanted to hear, not what I should be
hearing. In 1966 I left the world of organized religion and I
will never return to that again. I was a dedicated person to
the church and the bible studies.
I have read the Life and Teachings six times, not
just reading, but studying. What made me think that this is a
truth? There is no scientific evidence to back this up? There
is no mention of these things in the Wall Street Journal or in
the New York Times? No matter where I looked none of these
things were mentioned. Could it be a something within us that
intuitively draws a searching person? The skeptics, critics,
"unbeliever," that I knew did not stop my spiritual resolve
and I persevered. For the first time was I thinking for
myself.
In 1991 a book called "The
Kybalion" and "Divine
Pymander" came into my life and was a major puzzle in
resolving the mystery of Life that revealed the laws and
principles that enabled the Masters of the Himalayas to do the
things they were able to do. My path in Life was forever
changed because of the greater awareness that gave me mental
poise and a firm direction in Life. For the first time was I
able to live in the now and not be swayed by misinformation,
skepticism, or even the malicious conduct of other people. I
am not affected by political opinion. I can read and
understand between the lines. Yet, I am able to maintain a
flexible mind and not have to defend my opinions. My past was
left to history and I was looking forward to the new teachings
of Spirit. I am experiencing true freedom for the first time.
Why am I writing all this? It is not in the
reading of books that a person will benefit, but what a person
will do with it. Some people will read and life goes on in the
usual manner, while others will take it to their heart and
increase their Spiritual Knowledge and acquire true freedom
and they experience true Spiritual development. They become
changed persons. To the skeptic and "defender of opinions,"
Life will always be a mystery and they will always be stuck in
their mundane world of materialism as a self made person and
continue the struggle in their unawareness.
Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East will give
a person a reason to look into the greater realms of reality
and if they will but "look," the answers will be surprising
and refreshing. Scientific evidence and verification of these
things is not possible at the moment because it has not
completely unfolded in their field of awareness. However,
science has made tremendous progress in revealing the
structure of the Universe, which to the Spiritual aware person
indicates that our "material" world as we are able to perceive
it, is not as "material" as we think it is. In this view, we
can understand why the Masters of the Himalayas travel
effortlessly through the "invisible." They used a higher LAW
that that for the most part escapes the collective race
consciousness.... by J. R. Seydel

The Kamasutra is the oldest extant textbook of erotic love.
But it is more than a book about sex. It is about the art of
living--about finding a partner, maintaining power in a
marriage, committing adultery, living as or with a
courtesan, using drugs--and also, of course, about the many
and varied positions available to lovers in sexual
intercourse and the pleasures to be derived from each. The
Kamasutra was composed in Sanskrit, the literary language of
ancient India, sometime in the third century, probably in
North India. It combines an encyclopedic coverage of all
imaginable aspects of sex with a closely observed sexual
psychology and a dramatic, novelistic narrative of
seduction, consummation, and disentanglement. Best known in
English through the highly mannered, padded, and inaccurate
nineteenth-century translation by Sir Richard Burton, the
text is newly translated here into clear, vivid, sexually
frank English. This edition also includes a section of vivid
Indian color illustrations along with three uniquely
important commentaries: translated excerpts from the
earliest and most famous Sanskrit commentary (thirteenth
century) and from a twentieth-century Hindi commentary, and
explanatory notes by the two translators. The lively and
entertaining introduction by translator Wendy Doniger, one
of the world's foremost Sanskrit scholars, discusses the
history of The Kamasutra and its reception in India and
Europe, analyses its attitudes toward gender and sexual
violence, and sets it in the context of ancient Indian
social theory, scientific method, and sexual ethics.

There
are many very good Bhagavad Gita's available in the english
lanugage. It has undoubtably been the most populary translated
Hindu scripture. What sets this translation of the Gita apart
has much to do with the translator himself. Swami Satyandna is
not a dry academic who has not experienced the truth of the
Bhagavad Gita directly. Nor is he an Indian pundit trying to
bridge the communication gap between the east and the west.
Before Swami Satyanada became a swami, he lived in California
for the first twenty years of his life. After completing his
studies to became a lawyer, he set off for a trip around the
world. When he reached India he was so attracted to the depth of
India's wisdom that he couldn't leave. He ended up living in
India, as a sadhu and swami, for the next twenty years. In
India, he studied with many enlightened masters who taught him
the esoteric meaning of all the Hindu scriptures. Then he spent
many years studying and relating each scripture to his own life
experience. In 1985, Swami Satyananda returned to
India with his guru, Shree Maa. Since then he has been teaching
westerners how to apply these scriptures to their hectic, daily
lives. It is this experience that makes his translation of the
Bhagavad Gita particularly important and relevant for
westerners. As the Swami says in his introduction, "every
sadhu in every generation should rewrite the Gita, retranslate
it into contemporary language and symbols, which are meaningful
to the present time, place and circumstances." I found Swami Satyananda's Gita lucid,
impactful and filled with spiritual emotion. He did an excellent
job of making this ancient text relevant and meaningful to my
daily life. This remarkable translation of the Bhagavad Gita is
a treasure.

Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret
Knowledge and Ancient Mysteries
The mysterious
architecture and artifacts, and the enigmatic characters from ancient
history are the special focus of renowned European archaeologist, Brian
Haughton. His new book, Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret
Knowledge and Ancient Mysteries, quenches our thirst for insight into
ancient times. Read an
article by Brian Haughton >>

Hamlet's MillEver since the Greeks coined the language we commonly
use for scientific description, mythology and science have developed
separately. But what came before the Greeks?
What if we could prove that all myths have one common origin in a celestial
cosmology?
What if the gods, the places they lived, and what they did are but ciphers for
celestial activity, a language for the perpetuation of complex astronomical
data? Drawing on scientific data, historical and literary sources, the authors
argue that our myths are the remains of a preliterate astronomy, an exacting
science whose power and accuracy were suppressed and then forgotten by an
emergent Greco-Roman world view. This fascinating book throws into doubt the self-congratulatory assumptions of
Western science about the unfolding development and transmission of knowledge.
This is a truly seminal and original thesis, a book that should be read by anyone interested in science, myth, and the interactions between the two.

The
Urantia Book
This priceless and inexhaustible resource is
the ultimate synthesis of "science, philosophy and
truth", of "reason, wisdom and faith", of
"past, present and future".The Urantia Book
contains a synthesis of the concepts and ideas of more than
2,000 individuals who have contributed to the fields of
science, philosophy, religion, history, sociology and
theology during the last 2,000 years. Compiled by an
editorial staff of superhuman beings, the text provides a
startling perspective of human origins, history and destiny,
constituting a major revelation to humanity.

Subtitled "A Study of the
Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece". This
book is one of the greatest treasures of mystical
philosophy, based on ancient Hermetic knowledge passed
down over many centuries from teacher to student. This
book has had a profound effect on many, something few
books can claim. Many of its principles can be
successfully applied to any religious, spiritual or
magical tradition. Highly recommended.

The true meaning of AlchemyFor this reader, this book was the end of a
journey...a thread I've been following for the last five
years. I was overwhelmed by its truth. The more I
meditated on this tiny volume, the more truth came.
Everything I had read up to this point from the Gnostic
Gospels, the True Teachings of Chirst, The Masons,
Emerson, The Vedas and so many more...all of these
teachings flew like blinding arrows to this target (The
Master Key). In the end I had to aknowledge that this was
a profound truth, one so simple, yet so revolutionary to
our future. One that also requires a staggering amount of
responsibility. Maybe that's why this simple thread is so
hard to follow...once you've found it, you're so exhausted
(and have probably grown a great deal from your journey)
that you hopefully apply this "Key" only to good. I for
one, think things are going to get rather interesting in
this little universe of ours.....very interesting indeed.
Review by Nina Buckley

In this book the author expounds a
system of practical methods of the spiritual
self-perfection: starting from the entry level up to the
highest ones, which lead to the complete spiritual
Self-Realization through cognizing God in His Abode and
Merging with Him.
The book is addressed to those who want to
know and to realize the meaning of their lives, to attain
the ultimate happiness, to find God, and to immerse in the
Embraces of His Love.
Visit Vladimir Antonov's web site:
Divine Way of Spiritual Heart

International explorer,
archaeologist and authorJonathan Gray has traveled the world
to gather data on ancient mysteries. He has penetrated some
largely unexplored areas, including parts of the Amazon
headwaters. The author has also led expeditions to the bottom
of the sea and to remote mountain and desert regions of the
world. He lectures internationally.

"Dead Men's Secrets" by Jonathan Gray is 373 pages
of discovering ancient technology and lost secrets. Do not miss his new books that followed "Dead Men's Secrets":

Book 1 –

"The Killing Of... PARADISE PLANET"

lays out stunning evidence of a
once-global paradise, with a temperature-controlled climate, idyllic
landscape and long-lived human giants… but a super culture ready to wipe
itself out. The world BEFORE the Great Flood of 2345 BC

Book 2 –

"SURPRISE WITNESS"

shows what happened DURING that great Deluge
- the cosmic calamity that ripped the Earth to shreds and wiped out the
original Mother Civilization. Not only were the antedeluvian people
buried, but their technological achievements were destroyed, including all
form of machinery and construction. The skeptic may shout himself hoarse. But this event surely happened.
We have evidence that is more substantial than for any other event of
history.

Book 3 –

"The Corpse CAME BACK!"

Now comes the fast moving, fascinating
story of the settling down of Planet Earth AFTER the Flood, and its effect
upon human history.